Recently, we had an offer from a family wanting to exchange homes who were living in Australia.
And when I read the description, I couldn't wait to see the pictures.
Their house was situated on the coast.
In fact, it literally overhangs the sea.
From their balcony, you can go fishing.
Or you can launch their kayaks from the deck that's underneath.
Swimming and barbecues seemed to be the local pastimes.
It was really quite amazing.
And as I looked out of my window and I looked across the road to a row of houses,
and I looked beyond that to more houses and beyond that to just more concrete and wet, damp, horrible leaves,
I began to dream.
Dreaming away, rod in one hand, barbecue fork in the other.
The evening sun, the smell of grilled steak.
I could get used to this.
This would be a great life.
But because of costs, and it was just pictures on a website, it's going to remain a dream.
But what is a reality, and what is even better than all of this,
is that someone has actually exchanged places with me so that I can have the best life ever.
Someone has literally swapped lives with me so that we can experience life as it was intended to be.
Look at verse 1 of chapter 5.
Do you see that little phrase there, those three words, justified through faith?
It's like a summary term for the whole of chapters 1 to 4.
Because it's telling us everything that Jesus has done for us.
That Jesus Christ came to exchange places with us.
He has swapped his life for our life.
Jesus Christ came and he took the place of a sinner.
Guilty and condemned.
And he suffers the wrath and the judgment of God for us.
Because in other words, Jesus is treated as we deserve to be treated,
so that by faith we are treated as Jesus deserves to be treated.
We can see this even at the end of verse 8,
where it says,
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
His life for our life.
That's what it means to be justified by faith.
Because Jesus has exchanged places with us,
we are declared acceptable to God.
But that is only the beginning.
The result of this new position
is something that we are to experience each and every day.
Look at verse 11.
It says,
Not only is this so,
not only are we put right with God,
but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Reconciliation means that we can enjoy a living
and a vibrant relationship with Jesus today.
No longer are we his enemies.
We are now his friends.
And all this is possible because Jesus exchanged places with us.
And the big message of Romans at this point,
as we march into chapter 5,
is that the gospel is not just something explained,
which is chapters 1 to 4,
but it is something to be experienced.
And we will see this as we go from chapters 5 through to 8.
It's not just what Jesus has done,
but what it means to be in a living relationship with Jesus today.
So how can we have this best life ever?
Well, first of all,
we are to experience the gospel each day.
It's not just something that we look to in the past,
an event where we became a believer.
It is something to be experienced each day.
Look at verse,
let's read from verse 1 again.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
into his grace in which we now stand,
and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Do you see all the benefits there?
Because of what Jesus has done,
we now have peace with God,
we stand in his grace,
and we have the hope of glory.
I want you for a minute,
and I think this will be quite easy for you to do,
because it is quite cold,
to picture yourself under a great waterfall,
except this waterfall is fresh,
and it's very warm.
And at the bottom of this waterfall,
as you stand underneath it,
is this great pool of water.
And from this great big pool
is a series of smaller waterfalls
which kind of flow from it,
which fills up other little pools around the base,
where you can swim and relax.
Now that's what we have a picture of here.
The main pool is like the relationship we have with Christ,
justified by faith,
our relationship with God.
But from the overflow of that,
we have peace,
and we have grace,
and we have the hope of glory.
Because when the gospel is fully experienced in our life,
it literally overflows into every area of our life.
So let's look at these three pools in turn.
First of all, we have peace with God.
Peace is not just the absence of an enemy,
but it is the presence of a friend.
Chapters 1 to 4, as we saw,
went to great lengths to explain
that we were enemies of God,
under His just judgment.
But now because of Christ we're forgiven,
we're no longer His enemies,
but we're His friends.
And it says here in verse 1
that we now have peace with God.
And that peace is not unlike the peace that was present in the Garden of Eden.
Man in unity and harmony with His Creator.
There was a sense of safety and security,
a place of well-being,
a place of wholeness.
They were in search of nothing.
They weren't endlessly striving for things,
because they had everything.
And so with our peace with God,
we are satisfied and fulfilled with Christ,
because we have all that we ever need in Him.
And that is something we are to enjoy today,
a living and vibrant relationship with God.
But not only do we have peace with God,
and again if you keep that picture of the waterfall in mind,
flowing into the other pool is that we are standing in grace.
Do you see it there in verse 2?
It says,
Through whom we have gained access by faith
into His disgrace in which we now stand.
Grace is something we talk about a lot.
It is God's continuous generosity towards us
which is unearned and undeserved.
In practice it means that God doesn't treat us
as our sins deserve.
He treats us instead as His own Son,
loved and treasured.
You see, because of what Jesus has done,
because of His grace,
all our sin is covered.
Our past sin,
our present sin,
and our future sin.
So that means that when I fall,
or when I sin,
it doesn't mean that I fall out of God's favour.
And that I have to somehow work my way
back into that relationship
and do something good
so that He looks upon me and says,
Yes, now I'm pleased with you.
No, it means that because of His grace,
we are forgiven,
we are accepted,
we are welcomed despite our sin.
So we are people who stand in grace,
safe and secure,
never removed from His presence,
always loved and treasured as His children.
That is something we are to experience
each and every day.
But not only that,
look at verse 3,
not only so,
but we rejoice,
or sorry,
the end of verse 2,
we rejoice in the hope
of the glory of God.
Now I think we all know
through our own experience,
and the experience of others,
that we live in a world
that is terribly broken
and disordered.
We see nations at war,
cultures clash,
families break down,
individual lives are wrecked
through abuse and selfish addictions,
and I don't think there will be
any one of us here
who will go through the year
untouched by some aspect
of the brokenness in this world.
It affects each one of us
through sickness,
through death,
through injustice,
through suffering.
But here is the good news
at the end of verse 2.
In the midst of all of that,
we can rejoice
in the hope of the glory of God.
There is a glory,
there is an eternity,
there is a new heaven
and a new earth.
And one day,
this world that we live in
with all its brokenness
is going to be renewed
and restored.
Paradise promised
in all its perfection
is for the believer.
And that is ours to enjoy.
It is guaranteed
and it is assured.
This is the best life
that we can ever have
and it is ours to experience today.
We have peace,
we have grace,
and we have hope.
And the invitation here
is to swim, if you like,
in the fountain of the Gospel,
to bathe in the pools
of what we have been given.
But so often,
what we can do
is spend our time
chasing after
the dream life.
To want that ideal home.
To want that career.
To want that job.
To want the perfect partner.
And as good as they may be,
they are never ever
going to satisfy us.
They are never going to fill us.
They are pools
that are ultimately stagnant.
What we are called to do
is to come back to the Gospel,
to experience it each day
by swimming
in the peace
and in the grace
and in the hope of God.
But before we move on,
I want us to note
that these things
that have been promised to us
can never be taken from us.
Look at what it says.
It is to be a present experience.
Look at verse 1.
We have peace with God.
It's ours today.
Through whom,
verse 2,
we have gained access.
We don't need to go
trying to earn our access.
We have it.
We now stand in His grace.
And present experience,
we rejoice
in the hope of the glory of God.
And the reason why
this is ours today
and it can never be taken
and because it is secure for us
is because it is all through,
verse 1,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
It's not dependent on us.
It is all dependent on Christ
who has secured it for us.
These are ours today.
These are the benefits of the Gospel
which can never be taken,
changed,
or altered.
So experience the Gospel
in your life.
Well, the second thing
is not only to experience the Gospel,
but what we've got to learn to do
is to apply the Gospel
into our lives
and into each situation.
Look at verse 3.
not only so,
not only do we have
peace and grace and hope,
but we also rejoice
in our sufferings.
Now that's quite hard for us
to take in, isn't it?
To rejoice in our sufferings
because I know that there are many here
who do suffer
and the truth is
we all are going to suffer
in different ways.
We've just said that we live in a world
that is broken,
disordered,
and distorted.
Not just the physical world around us,
but it's our own lives
that suffer.
And as we go through life,
we're going to experience it
in different ways.
It could be physically,
it could be emotionally,
it could be mentally.
And the last thing
we feel like doing
when we're in the midst
of our suffering
is feel like rejoicing.
How am I supposed to rejoice
with my illness?
How am I to be grateful
for my condition?
How am I to see good
in my struggles
and disappointments?
Because it's telling me here
that we are to rejoice
in our sufferings.
Well, let me make it clear
that rejoicing does not mean
that we jump up and down
with a false smile
and pretend everything is good
when it's not.
No, what it does mean
is that through Christ,
because of our new relationship
with the Lord Jesus,
we can look at suffering
in a different way
to everybody else,
which means we can rejoice
about that.
We have a different perspective
which does bring a joy
to our lives.
You've probably heard
on the TV or radio
one of the ads
that has been produced
by NRA,
the National Roads Authority.
And in it,
there are various people
who've been affected
by road traffic accidents
and they explain
how the accident
has affected them.
And in each situation,
all of them say
something like this,
I can never accept
what has happened to me.
My life is never going
to be the same.
Now, while much of that is true,
it's also giving the message
that suffering offers us nothing.
That if you suffer,
there's nothing good
to come from it.
It's a hopeless existence.
But the gospel tells us
that there is something
quite different
for those who suffer.
Because of the gospel,
our suffering can bring
about good.
Look at the rest of verse 3.
The reason why we can rejoice
in our sufferings
is because
we know that our suffering
produces perseverance,
perseverance character,
and character hope.
Let's look at those
three in turn.
First, suffering
builds perseverance.
As we journey
through our life,
there are going to be
many times
when we want to give up
and give in.
The Christian life
will seem to be
too much of a struggle.
Life will be
too much of a struggle.
But through suffering,
we actually learn
perseverance.
We learn the ability
to keep on going.
Not because of
our own strength,
but because of
our dependence
and our ability
to rely upon God
who gives us
the strength
to keep going.
So suffering
builds perseverance
as we rest
and rely
and depend
upon the strength
and the grace
of God.
But not only
does it build
perseverance,
but suffering
builds character.
do you know
some of the most
generous
and kind-hearted
and loving
people
are those who
suffer.
Have you ever
noticed that?
Why is it,
do you think,
that people who
suffer the most,
and we can think of
people who've gone
through really hard
times,
that they seem to be
the people who care
for others the most?
Why is that?
Because the gospel
has taught them
through their suffering,
has taught them
qualities like
patience
and understanding
and empathy.
In a sense,
they can say,
I've been there,
I've been through it,
I understand,
and here is a God
who is going to hold you,
a God who's going
to keep you,
a God who's never
going to let you go,
even when you can't
even pray,
and even when you
don't even know
what's going on.
Here is a God
who is real.
It builds character.
But third,
suffering also
builds hope.
When you're fit
and healthy,
and life is good,
and you've got a good
home,
and you've got a good
job,
and you have all
your faculties,
heaven and our
eternal rest
can seem quite
irrelevant
and not required.
What do I want
heaven for
when life is good?
But as soon
as suffering
comes,
it reminds us
that we don't
belong here.
Suffering
increases
and intensifies
our longing
to be at home.
Suffering
fuels
our desire
to be finished
with the struggles
of this world,
to be released
from our decaying
and aging
and broken bodies,
and to be set
free from our
tortured minds.
Suffering
builds within us
an anticipation
and an expectation
of our final home.
It urges us,
it gives us
a greater desire
for something better.
And this is what
suffering does.
You see,
because of the gospel,
we can rejoice
in suffering.
because it brings
about good
in our lives
and it brings
about good
in the lives
of others.
Well,
you see,
and rightly
you can say it,
that sounds
great in theory,
but how do I make
what's written here
a reality
in my life?
How can I
in my suffering
rejoice?
Well,
look at verse 5.
He says,
And hope
does not
disappoint us
because God
has poured out
His love
into our hearts
by the Holy Spirit
whom He
has given us.
We know
that God
loves us
because He
has proved
His love
for us
on the cross.
But what
we want
is to experience
the same love
in our life
today.
In the middle
of our suffering,
we don't only
want to know
it in our heads,
but we want
to feel it
in our hearts.
We want to know
in the midst
of our struggles
that God loves us
and that He cares
for us.
And that is what
the Holy Spirit
does.
Look at the end
of verse 5.
God has poured
out His love
into our hearts.
That's to be
a present experience
by the Holy Spirit
whom He
has given us.
He takes
the demonstrated
love of Christ
which we see
on the cross
and He pours it
into our lives
so that even
in the most
difficult of times,
even in the midst
of our suffering,
we can rejoice
because we are
presently experiencing
the love of God
working in us.
a love that brings
about perseverance,
a love that brings
about character,
a love that brings
about hope.
So the way
that we are going
to experience
this love,
the depth of this love
to see God
at work in our lives
is to ask
the Holy Spirit
to make that real
for you.
He has poured
His love
into our hearts
by the Holy Spirit
whom He has given us.
If you are a Christian,
you have
the Holy Spirit.
Ask Him
to make that
a reality
in your life
so that you
learn to rejoice
in your suffering.
But the third thing
we must do
is not only
experience the Gospel,
not only are we
to apply it
into our lives,
but we are
to remember
the Gospel
each day.
If we are
to experience it,
if we are
to apply it,
we've got to know
what it is
we're experiencing,
what it is
we're applying.
You see,
it's only from
the overflow
of the Gospel
that we find
peace and grace
and hope
and joy.
And if we don't
spend our time
in the Gospel,
we're never going
to experience
those things.
So we must
remind ourselves
of what Christ
has done.
There are two
things here
that we need
to focus on.
First,
we need to focus
on the cross.
Verse 6.
Let's read
from verse 6.
You see,
at just the right
time,
when we were
still powerless,
when we could
do nothing
for ourselves,
Christ died
for the ungodly.
very rarely
will any person
die for a
righteous one.
Though for a
good person,
someone might
possibly
dare to die.
But God
is so different.
God isn't
like us.
God
demonstrates
His own
love for us
in this.
While we were
still sinners,
Christ died
for us.
The gospel
is a great
leveller.
It reminds us
exactly what
we are all
like.
Verse 6
tells us
that we are
ungodly.
Verse 8
tells us
we're sinners.
Down in verse 10
it describes us
as being enemies.
But perhaps
what is most
revealing is
that in verse 6
it says
we're powerless.
That we have
no ability
in and of
ourselves
to change
our relationship.
We can't
give ourselves
the ultimate life.
we can't
give ourselves
the best life.
We can't
change ourselves
because we're
powerless.
But God
has done
something for
us in Christ.
Twice it
tells us
in that passage
verse 6
that Christ
died
for the
ungodly.
In verse 8
while we're
still sinners
Christ
died
for us.
He takes
the initiative.
He moves
out to
us
in love.
Christ
in love
becomes
our
substitute.
He takes
the place
of us
who are
ungodly.
He takes
the place
of us
the sinner
and the
enemy.
And the
wrath of
God
falls on
Christ
because
he
loves
you
and me.
And it
is by
trusting in
his death
and reminding
ourselves
of all
that he
has done
that we
will
experience
life
in all
its
fullness.
Peace,
grace,
hope and
joy.
You've
got to
remember
the cross.
But not
only the
cross,
we are
also to
focus
on the
resurrection.
Look at
verse 10.
Let's
read verse
10.
For if
when we
were God's
enemies
we were
reconciled
to him
through the
death of
his son,
how much
more having
been
reconciled
shall we
be saved
through his
life?
The fact
that Christ
rose from
the grave
is proof
that we
too will
receive our
full salvation.
We have
peace,
we have
grace,
we have
hope,
we have
joy.
These are
benefits of
the gospel
that we
can enjoy
today.
But the
resurrection
of Christ
gives us
assurance
of our
full salvation
to come.
Verse 10
says,
we are
saved now
because of
his death.
We are
reconciled
now because
of his
death.
How much
more,
having been
reconciled,
shall we be
saved through
his life?
How much
more there
is to
come for
the Christian?
How much
more we
have beyond
this world?
At the
end when
Christ comes
we too
will raise
from the
grave so
that we
will experience
our full
and final
salvation.
And it
is only
by looking
at the
resurrection,
reminding
ourselves of
what Christ
has done,
that we
will know
everything that
we have to
look forward
to.
So these
are the
two twin
truths,
the two
great pillars
of our
faith.
The cross
and the
resurrection.
And we
need to
focus on
them and
remind ourselves
of them
each day.
Do you
remember the
fountain that
we talked
about at
the beginning?
And that
big pool that
fills up as
the waterfall
comes down?
Well that
pool needs
to be fed
otherwise it
will dry up.
Unless it
is filled
continually it
will become
empty.
And it's
exactly the
same with
us.
Unless we
are filled
we will
become empty.
And every
time we
go back to
the gospel,
every time
we remind
ourselves of
what Christ
has done,
His cross,
His resurrection,
so it's like
that pool
fills up and
up and it
fills and it
bubbles over
and it flows
over into
every aspect
of our life
filling us
with peace,
with grace,
with hope
and with joy.
If you're
feeling dry,
if you're
feeling empty,
if you're
not experiencing
the gospel
in your life,
I encourage
you to fill
your life up
reminding
yourself daily.
And if you
can't do it
on your own,
meet with
somebody else
who you can
read with
and pray with.
We're to
encourage each
other,
remind ourselves
of what we
have.
If we are
to experience
the best
life ever,
and this
is the best
life ever,
we are to
immerse ourselves
in the gospel.
I invite us
all to swim
in it every
day.
Don't just
dip your toe
into it once
a week when
you come along
on a Sunday
morning or
once a month.
Jump in,
apply it to
your life,
and experience
it daily
and you
will know
the best
life ever.
Let's pray
together.
Amen.
We were once
seen as ungodly
sinners
and enemies
powerless
unable to change our life
or do anything
but then Christ
intervened
he broke into
our lives
he died for us
he rose again
for us
all that we could
experience the best
life ever
we thank you
for the peace
that you give us
thank you that we are
standing in your grace
thank you that we have
the hope of eternity
that we have joy
in our suffering
and we ask that by your
Holy Spirit's power
that you would take
these truths
and apply them
to our lives
so that we can feel
and know your love
and experience
the depth
of what it is
to be in a living
and vibrant
relationship with you
we thank you
that we have
everything
in Christ
forgive us
when we go
chasing other dreams
help us to
chase Christ
the one who gives
us
everything
in Jesus name
Amen
we're going to
sing together
to hear
move
to
you